Daniel Rojas was the first musician to come on board KPop Demon Hunters and was the architect, along with EJAE.

“[I was] the very first, and I brought in EJAE,” Rojas tells Nerd Reactor. “So EJAE and I worked together with Maggie and Chris for more than three years before anyone else came in. We kind of put it all together as far as like where the songs should go, what the songs should be doing for the story, before different groups of songwriters were called in for different scenes. So it was more, I would say, like the architecture of it all with EJAE.”

600 Songs Were Made for KPop Demon Hunters

The process was very long, and the songwriters worked on 600 songs, only to have 9 songs chosen for the final version of KPop Demon Hunters.

“A lot of these songs had 30 to 40 different versions,” he explained. “By versions, I mean very different, not small revisions, but like whole different tracks or different lyrics, different things. We worked for over five years, and then in the end, it’s only like nine songs. People are like, ‘It took five years to do nine songs?’ I was like, ‘No, it took five years to do 600 songs, out of which the nine that you know.'”

Rojas and EJAE have worked together previously, and he knew that she was perfect for the film.

“I’ve known EJAE for a decade, basically,” the songwriter said. “And I’ve always thought she’s extremely talented, both as a writer and also as a singer. I loved her voice. I’ve used her many times, even just to sing demos and things like that. And especially this being a Korean film, she was born in Seoul, grew up in America, but also goes back there a lot.

“Her family still lives in Korea. It just felt like such a perfect fit. And someone who had been through the K-pop system and had trained at SM Entertainment, I immediately told Maggie, ‘I have the perfect person that we need for this puzzle.’ Because I’m not a K-pop person. I’m not an idol in any way. We were lacking that kind of authentic voice in our team for the music side. The music was so important. So we already had authenticity from Maggie, but we needed a voice in the music department early on that could also guide that light. And I thought EJAE was the perfect match. I made the introduction, brought her in, and we worked together for many years.”

The post How Daniel Rojas Recruited EJAE to Help Shape the Sound of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Now in theaters, the film is a guerrilla-style comedy in the vein of Jackass and Borat, following two friends trying to perform at Toronto’s Rivoli. What makes this film different from the others is that it makes the main duo, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, the butt of the joke, not the other people involved. The film gives a nod to Back to the Future, in which the two friends time-travel back to 2008 via their RV.

McCarrol joked in a statement about the film’s music: “I did this entire score end to end in one day.”

Listen to the track, “One Last Plan,” below ahead of the album’s release tomorrow.

Check out the film’s track list:

1. Goodbye, Matt
2. Musta Gone Through a Wormhole
3. Real Goths
4. About to Make a Big Mistake
5. Where’s Jay?
6. We, Too, Are Chinese
7. My Old Friend, Matt
8. Famous Jay
9. Breaking News
10. Kind of Hard to Explain
11. Without Any of the Drama
12. Man on CN Tower
13. One Last Plan

You can pre-save the album here.

The film was released in theaters on February 13th and has grossed $1.4 million so far, with a per-screen average of $4,001. The film has been well-received by critics and audiences, with a 97% score for critics and a 96% audience score.

The post Jay McCarrol on Scoring Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie ‘In One Day’ appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Check out our interview below, where we talk about the new album, his love of video games, fantasy books, and Dungeons & Dragons.

One of the biggest inspirations for the album is Elden Ring, the popular action game known for its tough bosses and unforgiving combat.

“Elden Ring is one of my favorite games,” Seven Lions tells Nerd Reactor. “So if you look at the artwork, there’s definitely a lot of inspiration. Maybe not as dark because Elden Ring is pretty dark. I’d say visually, quite a lot of inspiration. Musically, it’s very cinematic. So there’s some crossover there as well.”

Fantasy is a huge influence on the musician.

“Gene Wolfe is my favorite author,” he said. “I’ve been reading Jack Vance’s Dying Earth series. Christopher Buehlman is another author that I’ve been really into lately. I read a lot of fantasy stuff.”

Asleep in the Garden of Infernal Stars features different types of songs, from the somber sounds of “A Crown of Seven Suns” to the heavy bass and drums of “From Beyond.”

“I like different kinds of music,” Seven Lions explained. “So the songs are always very different. There are a lot of mellow moments and a lot of heavy moments. And I think that’s just because I like music that has a lot of dynamics. If it’s all just the same thing, then it gets very boring.”

The album is now available on Spotify, Apple Music, and the Seven Lions site.

The post Seven Lions’ ‘Asleep in the Garden of Infernal Stars’ Draws Inspiration from Elden Ring appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The intimate KPop Demon Hunters event started with the bar serving up drinks named after the film’s iconic songs: Golden, Takedown, Your Idol, and a non-alcoholic option: Soda Pop. There were also photo opportunities in front of a backdrop adorned with gorgeous flowers. The color scheme screamed, “If Gwi-Ma were floral.” My personal favorite was the meet-and-greet pictures with the songwriters themselves.

Record-Breaking Film with a Record-Breaking Soundtrack

“We had no idea this movie would become the most-watched movie in Netflix history. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, our stellar music team has produced five Grammy nominations,” Maggie Kang said at the start of the panel.

Chris Appelhans added, “We threw so much crazy sh*t at those two. Google Docs that were pages long, with stories, scenes, characters, and things we wanted to do in the songs. Mashup of references from H.O.T to Bill Withers to Imogen Heap to BTS.”

The creative version for KPop Demon Hunters started with Maggie and Chris, for a world that hadn’t been musically defined before, since they wanted the songs to work both inside and outside the narrative. “All the songs were truly the guidance of the directors telling us exactly what they needed,” EJAE said.

EJAE x Mark Sonnenblick Collaboration

While EJAE joined the project early in 2020, before the story was finalized, Mark was brought in much later through Ian Eisendrath, Executive Music Producer. Their dynamic blends EJAE’s extensive pop background with Mark’s theater storytelling. 

“We’re constantly policing each other like, ‘Hey EJAE, let’s get back to the story.’ So if I’m writing a line and it’s kind of general, you’d be like: That’s not really telling what Rumi wants to say. So he helped me a lot. Or you would write a lot of words and I’d be like: Oh no, it’s too many words!” EJAE shared.

The result, as you know by now, became irresistible songs with deep storytelling packed in.

Building “Golden”

“This is the story of the girls. This is the story of Huntrix. How do you get the backstory of all three of these girls in like eight lines of this song? And so, figuring out the melody that has enough syllables to do that,” Mark continued.

They debated between two melodies, but ultimately chose the one with “more real estate” for lyrics. With many versions sent back and forth among writers, directors, and producers, they coordinated to build Golden as the thematic backbone of the Huntrix trio. “Maggie was coming back and being like, can it be more yearning?” said Mark.

The audience then had a fun moment to sing along (briefly) with the songwriters.

The Hunter’s Mantra: The Film’s Spiritual Core & Korean Roots

Maggie and Chris had written what elements needed to be in “The Prologue (Hunter’s Mantra),” and EJAE composed it to be powerful, emotional, and cinematic. “Every time EJAE sent a voice memo, it was like, where is this divine inspiration coming from?!” Mark said in awe.

EJAE said, “It was a melody that could fit in many outfits throughout the movie.” She then dived deeper into how her being bilingual and culturally rooted helped her blend tradition + pop + cinematic styles. “The Korean lyrics aren’t modern, they’re actually old historical Korean.”

She continued to explain “pansori” (Korean traditional storytelling), which is typically known for emotional grit and vocal power, and that she blended it with “arirang” (Korean folk anthem), which is a more modern melodic approach. “I’m proud I brought that side of Korea into it,” EJAE smiled.

“Your Idol”: The Film’s Darkest Track 

Internally called The Black Hat song, EJAE is the original singer and songwriter for the “demo” version of “Your Idol.” 

She shared, “I don’t know if Maggie and Chris know this, but I purposely put the Mantra reversed as the intro. It sounds really eerie and demonic that way. So I did that, and then I harmonized it.” Drawing upon childhood exposure from her dad’s appreciation for cathedral Latin music, she layered in different harmonies to translate her metaphor strategy of: “They’re trying to kill the Honmoon.” 

“To sound like a dude, I had to transpose my tracks down. I had hundreds of tracks for this. I had to do the lead tracks, the doubles, harmonies, and effects vocals. I’m one vocalist and literally had to pitch down every single vocal take,” said EJAE. “Screaming in my room, it was fun.”

Mark added, “My favorite part of the song – dropping the beat going into the chorus. It’s missing a beat, and you just slam into the chorus harder, and it’s cool when there’s like little sort of weird things happening.”

EJAE continued, “Exactly, it was great. THEBLACKLABEL, like 24, and TEDDY just killed it with the trap. It’s like modern combined with that choir voice and the trap beats.”

The Soundtrack That Will Dominate Your Spotify Unwrapped

With multiple writing teams, working with people who have or haven’t done films before, “collaboration was so important and just no ego, and just making sure the song is king and making sure the story is alive while writing these songs were so hard, but magical,” said EJAE. “I think we did it!”

With KPop Demon Hunters being the most watched movie in Netflix history and with five Grammy nominations of Song of the Year (“Golden”), “Best Pop Duo/Group Performances (“Golden”), Best Song Written for Visual Media (“Golden”), Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media (The “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack) and Best Remixed Recording (“Golden” David Guetta REM/X), it’s safe to say, yes, yes they did. 

Thank you, Netflix, for inviting us to this intimate event! I look forward to seeing my Spotify Unwrapped to confirm what I already know.

The post How ‘Golden’ Was Made: The Songwriting Geniuses Behind KPop Demon Hunters’ Viral Soundtrack appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Persona Live 2026: Awakenings marks the first time the Persona Music Experience series is headed to the U.S. It will include the performers from Japan and debut at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, on Saturday, January 24, 2026. Two shows will be held that day, with live performances from artists including:

• Lyn Inaizumi: Singer of Persona 5 series
• Azumi Takahashi: Singer of Persona 3 Reload
• Lotus Juice: Rapper and vocalist of Persona 3 & Persona 3 Reload
• Toshiki Konishi: Composer and guitarist from the Atlus Sound Team

For those who went to Anime Expo this year, fans were treated to special performances from Lyn Inaizumi at the Persona 5: The Phantom X panel and a special concert at The Novo.

Here are the details below:

When: Saturday, January 24, 2026

Where: Dolby Theater, 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028

Ticket Sales:

Pre-Sale: Wednesday, November 5, 2025 at 10 AM PT

Public On-Sale: Friday, November 7, 2025 at 10 AM PT

More info available here: https://www.sega.com/persona-live-2026-awakenings-event-details

The post Persona Live 2026: Awakenings Brings Japan’s Original Musicians to Hollywood for First U.S. Concert appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

JET with Dallas Wax Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Time: Doors open 7:00 PM | Show begins 8:00 PM
Venue: Aviator Nation’s Dreamland – 22969 PCH, Malibu
Ages: 21+
Link to Tix: https://www.tixr.com/groups/dreamland/events/jet-152160
Pricing: $150

The band is from Dingley Village in Melbourne, Australia, and was formed in 2001. Their debut album, Get Born (2003), sold over 6.5 million copies worldwide and earned nearly 10x Platinum certification in Australia, and a Platinum in the U.S. and U.K.

Other hits include “Look What You’ve Done and “Rollover DJ,” and the band won six AROA Awards in 2004. “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” and “Cold Hard B****” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Modern Rock charts. In 2023, Jet performed their first live shows in five years for the 20th anniversary of Get Born, performing the album in full.

The post Rock Band Jet to Perform in Malibu, CA, on November 11 for One-Night Show appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Bow Wow Wow’s “I Want Candy” was featured in 1997’s Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, 2006’s Marie Antoinette, and 1996’s Bio-Dome. The music video has 7 million views on YouTube and 46 million plays on Spotify.

“I always find it really surreal because obviously I heard it mixed in the studio,” Lwin tells Nerd Reactor about hearing “I Want Candy” in films. “It’s a bit like when I first did my first song with the band, and I heard it on the radio when I was in a history lesson of all things. And my friend nudged me and said, ‘Isn’t that you singing?’ And it was kind of surreal then as well.

“But I have to say, that’s not the only song we did. It’s nice that people remember us for doing the cover of that song that was written by the Strangeloves, which I love to sing live, and everyone still seems to enjoy hearing it. And of course, thanks to MTV and all the wonderful radio stations back in the day, it helped to promote that for us and put us on the map as it were.”

The song was featured in the film Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola.

“I was privileged enough and honored enough to be able to meet the beautiful woman that she is today,” the singer said of the director. “And at that time she was carrying; she was with child. So, I couldn’t resist. I had to ask her permission if I could touch her belly, cause she was about to pop basically. And it was lovely to meet her, and she was very sweet. And of course I remember her from The Godfather, because I saw all the Godfathers.”

The story of how Annabella was discovered while singing at a store is a well-known one.

“I was working a Saturday job because my mother was a nurse and she had four children to bring up on her own,” Lwin said. “So she couldn’t afford to pay me any pocket money. And I went to look for a job of my own, and I found one in a cake shop. So the rest is kind of history, but I just loved singing along to the top 40. The person who, as it was, found me in that situation because I was actually singing two songs on the radio. And it happened to be Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Wish’ at the time, because I’m a huge fan of Stevie Wonder. Obviously, he’s a huge inspiration to me and many others.

“And back in the day, I loved all the bands like the Jackson Five and Donnie Osmond. I had a little crush on both, Michael Jackson, actually. I was double-dipping. I had crushes on quite a few people myself when I was younger. But I used to sing along to the song ‘I Will Survive.'”

OC Rewind Fest tickets are available on the website, starting at $59.45 (including fees).

Performers on stage include:

• Tom Bailey (Thompson Twins)
• Men Without Hats
• Missing Persons
• Bow Wow Wow with Annabella Lwin
• Naked Eyes
• Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel
• Tim Polecat
• Gary G Myrick

The post Bow Wow Wow’s Annabella Lwin on ‘I Want Candy’, Movies and Singing Career Origin appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

This marks the first-ever officially produced music video for “It’s Going Down Now,” and it mixes live-action footage with in-game visuals and new animations.

The Persona 3 Reload original soundtrack won the Spotify Streaming Category at the 2024 PlayStation Game Music Awards, with the song nominated for the Top Global Hit from Japan award at Music Awards Japan 2025.

Atlus has been successful with its Persona releases, and Persona 3 Reload is no slouch as it sold over 2 million copies worldwide as of July 2025.

A free demo is now available for Persona 3 Reload on the Nintendo Switch 2, with the full version being released on October 23, 2025. It’s currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, Steam, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.

Persona5: The Phantom X

In Persona5: The Phantom X news, Motoha Arai, aka Closer, is getting a summer swimsuit in the form of a new 5-star character. It will be available soon, according to its account on X (formerly Twitter).

Persona5: The Phantom X is the free-to-play gacha JRPG that is set in the world of Persona 5. It features fan-favorite and new characters including Joker, Ann, and Makoto. It’s currently available on Steam, Android and iOS.

The post Persona 3 Reload’s ‘It’s Going Down Now’ Gets a Live-Action Music Video appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

In one of the episodes, multinational Kpop group BLACKSWAN teams up with Boyz II Men, known for their hit songs “End of the Road” and “Motownphilly.”

“It was an amazing experience,” Nvee tells Nerd Reactor. “Especially during the rehearsal period, when we got to meet them and actually start rehearsing with them. I was so nervous because I mean, they’re amazing legends. They can sing basically anything, be on pitch, have an amazing stage presence, and their performances are just awesome.”

“It’s like when you meet them, they inspire you so much,” Sriya added. “They are motivational. They just give a certain kind of feeling, and you’re like, ‘Wow, I’m so amazed.’ They actually connect with you, heart to heart. That’s what makes them different because they are such big legends, and they’re still kind, sharing all those experiences of them and their life stories and advice. That makes us like, ‘This is a true artist and this is what I also want to be in the future.'”

Another lineup includes Vanilla Ice and Taylor Dayne as they collaborate with Kep1er.

“I always thought ‘Ice Ice Baby’ is such a cross-generational song that if we can Kpop it, I thought it would be amazing,” said executive producer Jake Hong. “And the moment when I saw Vanilla Ice and Kep1er coming together and doing a remix of ‘Ice Ice Baby’ on stage, that was just remarkable.”

“With Vanilla Ice and Kep1er in those rehearsals, it was so great because the girls were so accommodating and flexible,” executive producer Moira Ross said. “Some of those Western artists are not natural dancers… but the K-pop teams work so hard and are brilliant at executing spectacle.”

KPOPPED premieres on Apple TV+ on August 29, 2025.

The post BLACKSWAN Teams Up with Boyz II Men in Apple TV+’s KPOPPED appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The concert will focus on the music of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which is currently celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Special guests include the Polish folk metal band Percival Schuttenbach, the co-composer of the soundtrack. The band has selected an ensemble of 14 musicians, including select members of the band.

The Witcher video game series is a highly beloved fantasy property that features fan-favorite characters like Geralt of Rivia, Ciri Fiona Elen Riannon, Yennefer of Vengerberg, Triss Merigold, Dandelion (Yaskier), and Zoltan. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt follows Geralt on his search of finding his adopted daughter, Ciri.

The Witcher soundtrack is a highlight in the series, and The Witcher 3 took the series’ music to new heights thanks to the many composers, including Marcin Przybylowicz, Mikolai Stroinski, and Percival Schuttenbach.

From ambient to action-packed tracks, the music transports players into the world of The Continent. And who can forget the chill music when playing Gwent, including tracks such as “Back on the Path” and “A Story You Won’t Believe.”

Tickets are now on sale at https://www.thewitcher.com/us/en/concert.

Here’s the list of dates and locations for the 2025 Tour Schedule:

September 2

• Austin, TX
• Bass Concert Hall

September 3

• Dallas, TX
• Winspear Opera House

September 4

• New Orleans, LA
• Mahalia Jackson Theatre of Performing Arts

September 5

• San Antonio, TX
• Majestic Theatre

September 6

• Sugar Land, TX
• Smart Financial Centre

September 7

• Fort Worth, TX
• Will Rogers Auditorium

September 9

• Minneapolis, MN
• Orpheum Theatre

September 10

• Omaha, NE
• Orpheum Theater

September 11

• Overland Park, KS
• Yardley Hall

September 12

• Indianapolis, IN
• Murat Theatre

September 13

• Detroit, MI
• Fisher Theatre

September 14

• Syracuse, NY
• The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater

September 17

• Rochester, NY
• Kodak Center

September 18

• Red Bank, NJ
• Count Basie Center For the Arts

September 19

• Newark, NJ
• New Jersey Performing Arts Center

September 20

• Brooklyn, NY
• Kings Theatre

September 21

• Wallingford, CT
• Oakdale Theatre

September 23

• Richmond, VA
• Carpenter Theatre

September 24

• Reading, PA
• Santander Performing Arts Center

September 25

• Washington, DC
• DAR Constitution Hall

September 26

• White Plains, NY
• Westchester County Center

September 27

• Lowell, MA
• Lowell Memorial Auditorium

September 28

• Baltimore, MD
• Lyric Opera House

September 29

• Cleveland, OH
• Severance Music Center

October 1

• Philadelphia, PA
• The Met Philadelphia by Highmark

October 2

• Columbus, OH
• Palace Theatre

October 3

• Chicago, IL
• Auditorium Theatre

October 4

• St. Louis, MO
• The Fabulous Fox

October 5

• Milwaukee, WI
• The Riverside Theater

October 7

• Atlanta, GA
• Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

October 8

• Greenville, SC
• Peace Center

October 9

• Jacksonville, FL
• Florida Theatre

October 10

• Charlotte, NC
• Ovens Auditorium

October 11

• Louisville, KY
• The Louisville Palace Theatre

October 14

• Colorado Springs, CO
• Pikes Peak Center

October 15

• Denver, CO
• The Ellie Caulkins Opera House

October 16

• Salt Lake City, UT
• The Eccles Theater

October 18

• Spokane, WA
• First Interstate Center for the Arts

October 19

• Seattle, WA
• Paramount Theatre

October 21

• Riverside, CA
• Fox Theater

October 22

• Costa Mesa, CA
• Segerstrom Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts

October 23

• Mesa, AZ
• Ikeda Theatre

October 24

• San Diego, CA
• Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre

October 25

• San Francisco, CA
• Golden Gate Theatre

October 26

• Los Angeles, CA
• The Wiltern

The post The Witcher in Concert U.S. Tour Coming This Fall Including Los Angeles and SoCal Venues appeared first on Nerd Reactor.